Holding a patch box while engraving

[Onojutta]

John Schippers book says that he does not remove the inlays and patch box from the stock for engraving, but I plan to remove the patch box from my finished rifle for engraving because I don't have room in my shop to work around the entire rifle. What's the best way to secure the patch box lid and finial to the vise?

My side plates are flat and I can screw them down to a block of wood that will be mounted in the vise, but the lid and finial will need to be secured by some other means. The lid does not have screw holes and has the tang for the latch mechanism to contend with, but I figure I can drill a hole in the wood block for that. The daisy finial has a slight bend to conform to the butt stock and won't be able to be screwed down tight. I've seen hot glue and thermoplastic used to form a bedding to hold small items, but would the thickness required to support the curved finial provide too much cushioning? Thanks

 

[dd832]

Try Bondo on a wood board. I used bondo on a board for machining a lock plate years ago, works great. Releases by using a propane torch & lightly heating.
Mike

 

[Col. Batguano]

Make the glob of Bondo high enough so you can get good contact throughout. You might want to drill a hole in the wood for your latch pin. You don't want any hollow areas or else your gravers might make a dent or deform it while you're wanging away.

While the Bondo is curing, (somewhat stiff, but not yet hard), take a knife and cut off any globs that are higher than the metal so it's a nice continuous line your sandpaper can follow, all the way to the edge. You will want this this way so you can wet sand and smooth it with a block (or my favorite is wet sandpaper wrapped around a file).

When you're done, just hit it with the torch and it'll pop off like magic. Save your blocks just in case you might ever have to make a reproduction of the part. I had to do this with a toe plate one time when I broke the whole toe off and didn't notice until I got home. Without the old block I would have been in really tough shape. It's much easier to make an inlet to fit a part than a part to fit an existing inlet.

 

[billraby]

Melt some stick shellac onto a block of wood. Then put the part on there and heat it up. It will stick when it cools down. The shellac will give it support from underneath. Heat it up to remove. A regular heat gun is more than enough. The shellac can be used over and over as long as it does not burn. Clean up with denatured alcohol.